Contending Issues in the Niger Delta Crisis of Nigeria - Journal of ...

Olawale Olaopa, Ibikunle Ogundari, Mike Awoleye, and Willie Siyanbola
manner the government often employs in its policy formulation and
communicates such to the Nigerian people.
Now, rather than dialogue with labour and civil society groups
on the merit of its policy and expected outcome, the government
introduced a new bill seeking to break up the NLC, limit the right to
strike, and foster the creation of new alternative union bodies.
Although the Legislators watered down the proposed bill, conscious of
the NLC's popularity, the government at that time secured a
controversial High Court ruling making it illegal for unions to strike
over anything other than pay and working conditions.
Labour and civil societies see contradictions in the government’s
refusal to dialogue with them but were quick to offer the olive branch
to ethnic militia who take up arms. For instance, when self-appointed
warlord Alhaji Dokubo Asari threatened "all-out war" against
multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta, he was flown
straight to the capital – on a Presidential jet – for talks. What message
does this give a frustrated public, shown by surveys to be losing faith
in Nigeria's democratic institutions, as to the relative merits of
peaceful versus violent action
If the problems were domestic prices, the question that arises
would be; why are strikes often aimed at Nigeria's oil exports Expert
holds that because Nigeria as a country is benefiting from near record
oil revenues, but not its people, who are suffering from a steep rise
higher prices, by interfering with its most lucrative industry, strike
247